I will spend winter in Europe this year and thinking about windsurfing/surfing destination during Dec/Jan time frame. I've spent some time researching and at this point looks like Canary Islands is the place. The problem is the more I read about the islands the less sure I am which one to choose.
So I can sail almost everywhere and hope to find waves, my wife is learning footstraps. I am also hoping for a solid surf sessions. Some hiking and nice scenery would be a nice bonus.
I would appreciate for any suggestions/advice which of those islands would be the best bet.
Again I found some good info on this forum but choosing the right island is not that easy.
Any idea how El Nino can affect wind over there ?

Winter is not the best season for the Canaries, but it`s one of the best places in Europe for winter.
I cannot really say anything about the wind on each of the islands in winter, you`d have to check windfinder, but I`ve been to three of them last year, so I can tell you about the rest.

1. Wind: I`d say it`s pretty much the same on the three islands I was.. In general many people I know go to Tenerife in winter, so that should be good. But Fuerte and Gran Canaria should be equally fine.
2. Conditions: Gran Canaria has Pozo and Vargas, nice, but tough spots without sandy beaches and strong waves and sometimes nuclear winds. In winter the wind direction is a bit different from the summer so there is the chance that there is wind in Baja Feliz which is a okay "beginner" spot to learn footstraps.
Fuerteventura has the North Shore, but I haven`t stayed there, but in winter there can be huge waves, while the south has somewhat medium conditions with flat water and sometimes smaller waves. The Lagoon is great for lerning footstraps.
Tenerife has El Medano, Cabezo and the Harbour. Medano is mostly flat with some shorebreak and high, but not breaking waves further out. Cabezo is pretty much hardcore wave (I love Cabezo) and Harbour somewhat in between.
3. Surroundings: Tenerife is the most diverse island (it has the Teide, beautiful gorges), followed by GC. Fuerte has pretty much nothing but desert. It would clearly recommend Tenerife.
4. Going out: Another point for Medano, nice nightlife and not full of hotels. Pozo has to bars I think and Fuerte south is all about tourists.

Conclusion: Conditions for your wive are best on Fuerte, the other islands are somewhat tougher. For you, they all should work. Fuerte is really boring unless you windsurf (except for a couple of nice places). But be careful this year was cold in winters.
I do have some Canary pictures on my website if you want to take a look. And if you need more information, just contact me.
Maybe island hopping would work for you as well? In case you`re staying for a bit longer. First learn footstraps on Fuerte and the off to the waves in Pozo or Cabezo
If I had to chose, I`d go for Tenerife.. enjoy.. Maybe I`ll go there too.

Cape Verde was my first pick but after comparing it to Canarys it turned out to be much more expensive and not as attractive to visit with the family. Finally I've chosen Tenerife and even if it's not going to be to windy I should be ok hoping for some surfing. Apparently there is so much more other things to do so we should not get bored.
Cape Verde/Cape Town are on my list though as a some future destinations...

Wavelover wrote:

The Canarys is a summer spot, but you might get locky in the winter (60% chance of wind),

Instead you should go to Cape Verde or if you are willing for a longer flight Cape Town in South Africa, bouth places are good in the winter and easy to reach from europe.

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